Morning journal and courier., 1887-06-28
~ -
| FROM ALL QUARTERS.
THE HARVARD CREW Wins
And Smashes All Previous
Records.
COLUMBIA DOES FINE WORK.
Fast Rowing Cut Out For
Yale.
A MILLION DOLLAR BLAZE.
Poison At A Wedding
Feast.
FAST TIME AT NEW LONDON.

Harvard Rows Down CO1umbia In
the Fastest Time Ever Made ON the
Thames-A Very Close and Exciting
Race in which Roth Crews Are
Pushed to do Their Mightfest Work.
NEw'LoNDoN, Conn, June 27.-The eighth
| annual four-nile straightaway race between
eight-oared crews representing Harvard uni
versity and Columbia college was rowed this
afternoon on the Thames river course from
Gales Ferry to Winthrop Point and proved
to be one of the most holly contested races
ever rowed, both crews breaking the record
of twenty minutes and thirty-one seconds
made by Yale in 1884. The official time is:
Harvard 1920, Columbia 1929 Of the
many thousands interested in this aquatic
event not over three hundred college men,
including the Harvard, Columbia and Yale
delegations, came on to see it rowed. The
local people swelled the number of spectar
tors to about twelve thousand and they were
distributed on an observation train of nine
cars and several small excursion boats, the
others relying upon the enterprising newspa-
pers for descriptive record of the facts.
All the conditions were favorable for fast
time; the water was comparatively smooth
and the tide was running out very strong,
being greatly increased in volume by the
heavy freshet occasioned by the late rains
course. Columbia was the first to put their
shell in the water at $50, followed by Har-
ward at 5:25. Both crews rowed leisurely up
to the judges boat and received instructions,
and then padded to the starting line and
backed up ready for the word, Harvard hay
ing the west and Columbia the east course.
The word was quickly given and both crews
went away on squirt of thirty -eight strokes
per minute, Harvard catching the wa
ter first and gaining a slight advan-
tage, both crews splashing badly.
Both crews dropped their pace two
strokes and settled down to hard work.
Harvard's long sweeping stroke and the pre-
cision with which they swung their bodies
sent them gradually to the front and at the
first quarter they had lead of a length. The
Columbus here began doing better work and
she began to gain on the leaders inch by
inch. The excitement at this point was
something tremendous. Columbia continued
to gain and as both shells shot by the half
IQll0 nag LQ0y were DOW Auu DOW. Ibis me
exhibition of rowing by the Columbia boys
greatly surprised the Harvard crew and they
showed their temporary decentralization by
splashing and irregular body movement. This
was Columbia's opportunity and she
took advantage of it by drawing
about a foot of ocean water between the
boats. But Harvard was not to be so easily
defeated. They quickly recovered them
selves, and by their sweeping stroke of thirty
four rapidly ran up alongside of the New
Workers and by great exertion sent the bow
of their boat few feet to the front just as
they passed the first mile flag. The rowing
up to this point Zone mile) was something
phenomenal, the second half being rowed in
BIOS and 2:111s respectively, and both
crews were fifteen seconds ahead of the
record. Harvard's lead was only three feet,
and it was anybody's race. The enthusiasm
here was at its height, and Harvard and Co.
lumhia men shouted for all they were worth.
The terrible strain had it's effect on the
Columbia's, and they dropped their stroke to
thirty-three, while Har ward, still pulling
thirty -four, forged ahead and at IL miles
nearly showed clear water. Harvard kept
up her steady swing, while Columbia's work
was ragged and to her misfortune her cox
swain swerved from the course and made
long sweep in shore, thereby losing nearly
length. At the two mile flag Harvard had
increased her lead to two lengths. Opposite
the navy yard Harvard was three lengths
ahead, swinging merrily along with the race
we'll in hand. At this point the Columbus
seemed to get their second wind and put in
such effective work that in that Lalf mile she
had overcome one length of her opponents
lead. All during the third mile Harvard
took matters easily and Columbia attempt
ed to close the. gap, but could do
nothing more than hold her own. Entering
the last half mile Columbia made her final
effort, but to do her best she could gain but
few feet and Immediately lost it, and all
through this half mile Harvard easily main
tanned her lead of three lengths in spite of
Columbia's gallant effort, Harvard crossing
the line winner by three lengths in 1920,
defeating the best crew Columbia has ever
had and breaking the record by eleven Sec
onds. Columbia's time was 1929, which is
two seconds better than the previous record
The following table shows the number of
strokes each crew were pulling and the Off
cial time made by each crew by half miles: